As Disney honors the U.S. Navy’s 250th anniversary, the company salutes the many Navy veterans who helped shape The Walt Disney Company and reflects on the shared heritage between the two organizations.
A Legacy of Service
Honoring U.S. military service members and veterans is more than tradition — it’s part of the foundation of The Walt Disney Company. This deep admiration and respect began with the company’s founders, Walt and Roy Oliver Disney, whose dedication and support for those who served in uniform helped shape the company’s values and legacy.
Roy O. Disney, Walt Disney’s brother and co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, proudly served in the U.S. Navy during World War I. Walt, though too young to enlist, joined the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps as a chauffeur and ambulance driver. Their early commitment to service laid the groundwork for The Walt Disney Company culture that continues to honor veterans to this day.
Boosting Morale in the Navy
During World War II, The Walt Disney Studio received numerous requests from military units to design insignia, which would be featured on unit planes, ships, uniforms, and other military vehicles and equipment. Over 1,200 of these insignia were produced by Disney studio artists, with many featuring Disney characters, and occasionally, the units already had a specific character in mind.
In the 1940s, several insignia were designed for the Naval Construction Battalions, or Seabees, which were established following America’s entry into World War II. The name connotes the nautical phase of the work to be undertaken by this force, by “SEA” coupled with the industriousness of the “BEE.” In addition, the phonetic pronunciation of the words forms the letters “CB,” an abbreviation of Construction Battalion.
In honor of Walt’s generosity and patriotism, the Navy presented him with a statue of a Seabee in 1966. Along with the award that is currently on display inside the Main Street Opera House in Disneyland as part of the Walt Disney – A Magical Life attraction, Walt was bestowed with the title of Honorary Seabee.
The Naval Legacy at the Heart of Disneyland’s Construction
One of the most influential veterans in Disney history is Navy Rear Admiral Joe Fowler. A naval architect and veteran of both World Wars, Rear Admiral Fowler supervised the design and construction of some of the largest aircraft carriers used during World War II. After 35 years nobly serving in the U.S. Navy, the Admiral was personally recruited by Walt Disney in 1954 to lead the construction of Disneyland.
Joe oversaw the construction of Disneyland and went on to manage its operations after the park opened in 1955. Appropriately, Walt had also cast him as technical advisor of the Academy Award® -winning 1954 live-action film 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. During the 1960s and 70s, Joe was charged with the Herculean task of planning and building Walt Disney World Resort. Learn more about Admiral Fowler here.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea also involved of fellow U.S. Navy veteran and future Disney Legend, Card Walker, who, in 1956, was named the vice president of advertising and sales and tasked with promoting the same film.
Card’s career with Disney actually began years earlier, in 1938, following his graduation from UCLA. From the studio mailroom, Card eventually went to work in the camera department and became a unit manager on short subjects in the production department.
In 1941, Card enlisted with the U.S. Navy and served as a flight deck officer during World War II. Following his time in the Navy, Card returned to the Disney studio, working in the story department where audience reactions to potential new films, such as 1950’s Cinderella and 1951’s Alice in Wonderland, were tested using a new polling system with the A.R.I. (Audience Research Institute).
Card went on to hold roles such as vice president of marketing, executive vice president of operations, executive vice president and chief operating officer, president and chief executive officer of Walt Disney Productions. Throughout Card’s career, the company grew to include landmarks such as EPCOT, Tokyo Disneyland and The Disney Channel. Learn more about Card Walker here.
Disney’s Submarine Voyage
On June 6, 1959, Disney honored the Navy with the opening of the Submarine Voyage at Disneyland. The journey through liquid space featured a fleet of submarines named after real-life U.S. Navy vessels including Nautilus, Seawolf, Skate, Skipjack, Triton, George Washington, Patrick Henry and Ethan Allen.
The attraction’s elaborate grand opening and dedication ceremony, held on June 14, 1959, was led by Navy Admiral Charles C. Kirkpatrick, and crowds gathered for a glimpse of what lay beneath the sea. Since then, the attraction has been reimagined as Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage.
Honoring Veterans Within Disney Parks
After a nearly 25-year career with Disney, Rear Admiral Fowler retired in 1978 and went on to be named a Disney Legend in 1990, just three years after the program was established to honor individuals who have made significant contributions to The Walt Disney Company.
Tributes to Admiral Fowler can still be found in the parks. The harbor used as a dry dock for the S.S. Columbia and paddle wheeler Mark Twain at Disneyland is named “Fowler’s Harbor,” which also includes a building known as Fowler’s Inn. At Walt Disney World, one of the ferry boats that transports guests across the Seven Seas Lagoon to the Magic Kingdom was rechristened in 1997 as the Admiral Joe Fowler in his honor.
